A significant percentage of the United States Postal Service (USPS) revenue is from metered postage. Metered postage is generated by utilizing postage meters that print a special mark, also known as postal indicia, on mail pieces. Generally, printing postage and any other VBI can be carried out by using mechanical meters or computer-based systems. Conventionally, a business or other entity will have a meter at its place of business, and will use the meter to print postal indicia on mail pieces or on labels that are then affixed to the mail pieces.
With respect to computer-based postage processing systems, the USPS, under the Information-Based Indicia Program (IBIP), has published specifications for IBIP postage meters that identify a Postal Security Device (PSD). The PSD, in conjunction with the user's personal computer and printer, functions as the IBIP postage meter. The USPS has published a number of documents describing the PSD specifications, the indicia specifications and other related and relevant information. There are also security standards for printing other types of VBI, such as coupons, tickets, gift certificates, currency, vouchers, and the like.
One of the standards required by the USPS is that the address of the intended recipient of a piece of mail be verified by comparing the entered address with a database of valid addresses provided by the USPS. Conventionally, this requires that the sender have the database installed on their local computer and compare the intended destination address with the addresses in the database. Moreover, when the USPS provides a new release of addresses, each sender is required to obtain the updated database to continue to validate addresses. Thus, such a system can be burdensome to its users.
In addition, since addresses vary widely in terms of number of elements in the address and various address formats, address matching can be a difficult undertaking, even with a current list of all valid addresses available to the sender.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and system for performing address matching from a single, central location, thereby doing away with the need for each remote user to maintain an updated database of valid addresses. In addition, it would be desirable to have such a system and method that allows addresses to be validated once from a particular sender, such that when the sender desires to use a previously validated address again, there is no need to perform address matching a second time. Moreover, it would be desirable to have a method and system that takes a desired address and manipulates the format into multiple structures before comparing the address with a set of valid addresses in order to increase the likelihood of obtaining a match. The present invention addresses these desirable features.